1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus for coordinated screening of passengers and packages at security checkpoints.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many different types of devices have been developed for screening both people and parcels for weapons and other contraband. These are used at airports, government buildings and other high security locations. Additionally, security personnel employed at these locations have been trained to identify certain personal characteristics that may trigger a more detailed security investigation. For example, airline passengers may be subjected to a visual screening at the ticket check-in counter. The visual screening will assess the demeanor and nervous state of the passenger, the itinerary of the passenger, the method of payment for the ticket and in some instances the ethnicity of the passenger. A ticket agent may mark a boarding pass with a code that requests additional screening at a later checkpoint if the preliminary screening by the ticket agent suggests that a more detailed security review is appropriate.
The passenger then moves from the ticket counter to a security checkpoint between the ticket counter and the boarding gate. The typical security checkpoint requires the passenger to walk through a metal detector. Some airports also have a walk through detector that checks for the presence of trace amounts of substances of interest. One such detector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,499 and is effective to determine whether the passenger is carrying or has recently handled explosives or narcotics. The passenger then proceeds towards the gate. All airlines require the passenger to show a boarding pass at the gate and perhaps some other form of identification. The boarding pass may have been marked by the ticket agent in a manner to indicate a need for further searching. In such cases, the passenger may be subject to increased scrutiny by being directed down a separate “selectee” lane at the checkpoint.
At the security checkpoint, carry-on luggage is placed on a conveyor belt and passed through an X-ray inspection apparatus shortly before the passenger walks through the metal detector. The conveyor belt of the X-ray inspection apparatus operates continuously unless stopped by the security personnel viewing the screen of the X-ray inspection apparatus. If necessary, the conveyor may be operated in reverse so that a piece of luggage can be re-inspected if the security personnel think they have seen an object that requires more than the initial passing glance. Many passengers have several items of carry-on luggage that are subject to X-ray inspection. The movement of these personal items of luggage through the X-ray inspection apparatus is performed entirely independently of the movement of the passenger through the metal detector. For example, a person will be delayed from entering the metal detector if a previous passenger has triggered the alarm of the metal detector. In such situations, the previous passenger will be asked to check pockets for metal objects, will deposit those objects in a tray for passage through the X-ray apparatus and then will be asked to walk through the metal detector again. This process can be repeated more than once and eventually that previous passenger may be subjected to a more direct screening by a handheld metal detector. During this time, the luggage of passengers who are delayed continues through the X-ray scanning apparatus. In many instances, a person's carry-on luggage will have been waiting at the outlet end of the X-ray scanning apparatus by the time the person has passed through the metal detector. In other situations, the passenger will have proceeded through the metal detector and must wait while the security personnel checks and rechecks images produced by the X-ray screening of a previous passenger's luggage. Thus, the movement of carry-on luggage and passengers through the security checkpoint occurs at approximately the same time, but entirely independent of one another. Furthermore, the checking of carry-on luggage by the X-ray apparatus and the security personnel who monitor the X-ray screen is carried out entirely independently of observations made by the ticket agent at the check-in counter.
Some carry-on luggage is subject to screening for explosives, narcotics or other contraband. These devices typically operate by wiping a soft flexible porous trap over the carry-on luggage. The trap is formed from a material that will entrain microscopic particles of interest. The trap then is placed in a detector that checks for the presence of explosives or narcotics. An apparatus of this type is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,337. The screening of luggage in this manner may be carried out randomly or based on observations by security personnel at the security checkpoint. Additionally, confusion at the outlet end of the X-ray screening apparatus often results in missed opportunities for more detailed screening.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide apparatus for a more coordinated screening of passengers and luggage at security checkpoints, and to improve security, reduce the average inspection time and reduce the cost of manning the checkpoint.